The Finish Line
by Tezu-chan
Summary: MelloNear oneshot, spoilers to the end of the series. Rated for slight cursing.


**A/N: I don't really like the pairing of Mello and Near, but I always thought they made cute friends. I was reading through one of the manga books [I think nine…? and the part about the photo made me sad, so I had to write this.**

**This was written for my friend on her birthday on Sunday. Happy birthday, Erica!**

**P.S: This is a one-shot. So… I won't write any more for this. **

**--**

It was blank.

The sad reality set into his mind; the two tombstones of men that had suffered so much and given their lives to a better cause, and their tombstones didn't even have their names on them. It didn't seem right, they only had each other and no one else, spare Near, knew of their existence.

Near stared at the tombstone on the right, Mello's. It had been so long since he'd talked to him, and now he'd never be graced with the opportunity again. At least he knew he'd be with Matt, the only thing that kept the blonde partly sane. The only thing that seemed right about this was that Matt's tombstone was next to Mello's, so the two could be together, even after death. Not that Near believed in heaven, but if Mello could see this he'd at least feel a bit justified. He was the religious one, after all.

Near knelt down between the two graves, reaching into his white shirt's pocket. There it was, the finishing touch, Mello's rosary beads he'd treasured so; Halle had gotten them from the fire. Near had hung onto them for a while, but decided they belonged with Mello, their rightful owner. It wasn't good to steal things anyway, and Near wasn't that type of person.

The boy raised a hand to his face- was he… crying? This was a surreal sensation to him, but if anyone in the world deserved his tears it would be Mello. He wiped them away slowly and forced a smile. Wouldn't that be what he wanted? No one could be sure, and the boy almost always thought that Mello hated him, didn't want anything to do with him. Why else would he not have agreed to work on the case with him?

"Hey now, you're finally returning my crap?"

Near looked up at the sound, not seeing where it was coming from. He was just imagining things again; he had been doing things like that lately. Maybe their deaths had finally hit him hard, even though it had been three years ago?

"Hey! Look at me while I'm talking to you, Near. Jeez, you're as annoying as ever."

This caught the boy's attention as he turned, seeing an oh-too-familiar blond sitting on the tombstone behind him. "…Mello?"

"Yeah, seriously, how long does it take to return those? I mean, I kept blaming Matt for losing them."

Near cocked his head to the side; Mello wasn't like he was the last time he'd seen him. He was younger- the scar on his face completely gone and his blue eyes brighter. His clothes weren't that of leather, cotton covered his body and the absence of socks exposed his feet. This confused Near, but he didn't say anything.

"…what? Aren't you going to say hi or anything?" Mello demanded, hopping off the tombstone and walking towards the other. "You look as lovely as ever, Near. And I mean that in the sincerest way possible."

Ok, so it definitely was Mello, no one else could match his quick wits. He stood, to his surprise being a tad bit smaller than Mello, and he raised a hand to his hair, spinning it around his finger. "…Mello? Why are you here?"

Mello was taken aback by this, but gave the other the warmest smile he could muster. "To take you with me, stupid. I've been waiting."

"Waiting for what?" Near asked innocently, looking down at his socked feet. How was this possible…? He was suddenly younger, maybe this was a dream he'd wake up from soon enough. That's what always happened in those movies, and the main character comes to a realization afterwards. But this seemed to mean for his mind to think up. He knew Mello wasn't really there, but he couldn't shake the strange feeling he had.

"For you," Mello said, a bit confused as to how he wasn't getting this yet. "Come on, L's waiting. And so is Matt, I'll bring you to them."

"But, Mello, they're dead. They can't be waiting for me…" Near insisted, taking a step back. His eyes shifted from the ground up to the blond, cocking his head to the side again.

"Pfft, Near. You're so hard-headed sometimes." Mello let out a little giggle, crossing his arms as his clothes changed back from black cotton to leather as he grew taller- the scar that engulfed the left side of his face returning. His blonde hair lengthened and straightened towards the end, and his uncrossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. "Don't worry, come on…" he said in his low voice, his smile completely disappeared.

Near watched this process in awe- like fast forwarding Mello's life into what he was before his death. "B-But what about…?"

"You know, that grave suits me well. Blank, so… unpredictable, I don't think they could have done a better job," Mello interrupted, bending down to see the still-small Near. "Nate, do you remember what I told you before I got my photo back?"

"Y-Yes…" Near still wasn't sure what was going on, but nodded.

"I told you I'd beat you to the finish line. And I'd be waiting there for you. You're three years late, Near. But I didn't get tired of waiting." Mello took a hold of the little boy's hand. "I always keep my promises, remember? And what's more like the finish line than death itself?"

Near's unemotional face managed to let out a small smile, and Mello chuckled. "C'mon, L has a cake waiting for us. A chocolate cake," Mello laughed, standing up and still holding onto the other's hand.

Near smiled, actually _smiled_, and scampered off with Mello into the distance. So maybe, maybe he was finally home. And he knew, deep down, that this wasn't a dream.

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**Please read and review! I'd like to know what you thought.**


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